Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £21,475 to £38,250
Best in class to drive, exceptional build quality, excellent engines.
Rear cabin space is tight.
With engines ranging from great to brilliant, and a chassis that suits them all, this is the one to go for if the driving experience is a priority. Short on visual drama, but well built and easy to live with.
With a bodyshell 25% stiffer than that of its predecessor, the latest 3-Series has achieved the full five stars for occupant protection in the Euro NCAP crash tests, plus four for child protection, though it only scored one for pedestrian safety. Benefiting those on the inside, at least, six airbags are standard fit, including head bags for front and rear occupants.
Other safety measures include Brake Force Display for the brake lights. In the event of an emergency stop, or when the anti-lock brakes are activated, a larger area of the brake light is illuminated to provide extra warning to following traffic. Other active measures include Brake Standby, which claims to shorten stopping distances by priming the brakes if the driver lifts off the accelerator sharply. And Rain Brake Support improves wet brake performance by occasionally gently pulsing the brakes to prevent water from building up on the discs. For safer getaways on hills, Hill Start Assist allows manual transmission cars to pull away smoothly by maintaining brake pressure for a brief time. It works well, too.
For full-pelt drivers, there is also Fading Compensation, which applies additional braking pressure when the brakes get very hot, a situation that can provoke fading brake efficiency.
For those cars equipped with Active Steering, the system works in conjunction with the stability control program. If, for example, the sensors detect oversteer (back of car trying to swap ends with the front), it will apply a bit of positive steering angle to bring the car back into line.
